Painting or other work performed on the interior or exterior of a building at an elevated position typically involves working from a ladder which can be both uncomfortable or unsafe, or from commercial scaffolding which is expensive to own or rent and is very time consuming to construct. Ladder scaffolding is a common inexpensive solution for workers doing painting or small repair jobs on the exterior or interior of buildings. Typically, ladder scaffolding consists of two ladders that support a scaffold plank through the employment of ladder jacks or scaffold brackets. Although ladder scaffolding is inexpensive to own or rent and requires a short time to erect compared to standard commercial scaffolding, there have been inherent problems with systems of this type.
A first problem inherent with ladder scaffold designs using scaffold brackets or ladder jacks has been the necessity to make the scaffold brackets or ladder jacks highly adjustable to accommodate various ladders designs, as well as different ladder angles, and different sizes of scaffold planks. Scaffold brackets and ladder jacks that offer adjustment in these areas are often unnecessarily complex and require long set up times. The scaffold brackets and ladder jacks that do not provide these adjustment are often incapable of properly maintaining the proper positioning of a scaffold plank and the safe securement of the plank.
The requirement of the user to make many adjustments on a ladder scaffold system increases the potential that an adjustment will be improperly performed or accidentally omitted. There is a corresponding safety risk with a complex system of this type as well as a necessity for adequate training of employees to insure proper assemblies. Scaffold designs of this type that merely use a scaffold plank supported on brackets or ladder jacks have an inherent instability and obviously require that the system be assembled properly.
Ad additional safety risk associated with ladder scaffold systems is derived from the location of the scaffold plank in relation to the ladder. Existing ladder scaffold brackets and ladder jacks position the scaffold plank either in front of the ladder or behind the ladder. In either location, stepping from the ladder onto the scaffold plank requires the user to move forward or backward, as well as laterally onto the plank. The difficulty of this move is exaggerated when the user is carrying tools or hardware. Any ladder scaffold system that places the scaffold plank in front of the ladder additionally requires the user to somehow climb above the scaffold plank that is blocking the ladder and then step onto it. There is an inherent danger in moves of this type on a ladder, even at low elevations. Additionally, ladder scaffold systems of this type restrict work from being done from the ladder at the same time as the scaffold is being used.
A ladder scaffold system is far less time consuming to erect than a commercial scaffold system. However, compared to working off of ladder, ladder scaffold systems require a much higher set up time. Due to the complexity of many ladder scaffold systems a great deal of inefficiency is added to repair work or painting. This inefficiency is most evident for workers having to reposition the scaffold on the ladder at different elevations or for workers having to move the entire system even short distances. The worker faced with the extra time commitment of assembling a ladder scaffold system will often forgo the use of the scaffold system and instead work from the extension ladder. This decision may cause the worker to perform a task in an unsafe manner such as reaching excessively from the ladder.
Existing ladder scaffold systems that utilize multiple pieces require users of these systems to monitor the whereabouts of all the various components of the system in addition to monitoring ladders and scaffold planks. This requirement can be difficult in work environments that are large or cluttered and adds inefficiency to the use of ladder scaffold systems.
For the foregoing reasons there is a need for a ladder scaffold system that is quickly and easily assembled and eliminates complex adjustments. There is additionally a need for a ladder scaffold system that has a minimum of parts to assemble, monitor, and maintain. There is a need for a ladder scaffold system that is easy and safe to use, that does not require acrobatics to access from a ladder, and additionally does not interfere with the use of the ladder once assembled. There is also a need for a ladder scaffold system to be inexpensively manufactured from high strength materials.